Process for the low and medium temperature carbonization of coal, oil shale, wood, peat, and the like



my 9 'lf ini-@393393 LSFWUN PHOGESS FOR THE LCE? LND MEDUM TEMPERATURE CRBNIZATION OF COAL E @L SHLE, WOOD, FEATD AND'THE LIKE Filled April 50. 1.921

l-eteuted .lolly Qui?, 'l

firs lima l if 'im een le itl implication filed April 30, 192i, Serie] No.

eeen, om

465,712, and in Great Britain July 31, 19155.

This invention relates to an improved process and appui-situe i'oi the csroonizetion or destiuctive distillation of coals, oil shale, Wood, peatund the like by the so-celledlow and medium temperature processes wheeby un increased yield of ily-products such oils of the puru'liin seiies, ammonia und ges .pyi'oligneous acids etc., con be'oloteineiifin conjunction with o 'simplification of the l plant and u more economicel utilisation of the fuel.

It is Well known that in the corbonizing of coal ete., by the method known se the 'low temperature pmcess es usually certfied out, the tempemtures employed range from about all()O to. about 6G00 centigrede und that in the so culled mediuni tempeiretue carbonizing process the temperatures employed sie iti-om uboot 500" to about 10000 C ft is also well known7 that the oilsA obtained under the first mentioned process ere principally of the paiuilin series, While in the second or mediux'n tempera/ture process the oils obtained are partly ofthe puetfm. y' series and partly of the benzene series. The yields and proportions depend to e large extent upon the .netue of the coals oi' sliele treated.

The retoits commonly used in the low temperature process sie externally tired and owing to the low heut conductivity of coal under the lower temperatures ere generally mede only L- inches to 6 inches internal diameter. lt Vwill be clem? that a Weet inumlaei ot' such smell retoi'ts ure required for e, carbonizing plant ot u commercial size the great number of these z'etoi'ts necessarily complicating the plant end preventing/the lli utilization oi? the fuel to the fullest extent' sei'ies` is low compared with theA yield obtained under the low temperature carbonizing process,

ln both ceses the rotor-ts are usually heated 55 externally and. being made of a more or less ref uctoiy material. oi' e low thermal conductivity the amount of fuel used is many times greater than tlic theoretical amount required to reise the coal or shale to the carbonizng 60 temperature.

By 'wey oj exemples c 3.045% ol ,the Weight of coal carbonized is generally used as fuel in the modern regenerative i'uineces and 'retort setting. While 65 in other `settings ot the non-regenerative type twice tile above stated amount is frequently nec A ln my improved process the czirbonizing or 4decomposition of the coal or shale etc., 70 is achieved by means ol e not gas' being caused. to travel inside the retort .and this ges being in direct Contact with the coal o" shale etc.7 to be treated Without any inter- Veiling Well the heet transmission is' far 75 more effective end rapid than by any other method. lt is also clear that the driving oli' ot Volatile matters, is greatly facilitated.

little tempeiatui'e ot one ton ol cool or sliele, having e speciiiohest of 0.32 has to B0 Abe raised :from 15 to 600O "centigrade, EWQOO kilogfsm calories are required, cor` responding to 9.5 kilograms of coal at 750 kilogram. esl ies esclusive of the amount ot coal segu aed to evaporate the moisture S5 conta-lined; in the cool,A g'eneelly 1.5 kilograms of cosi being required per 1% moisture per ton. oi coal.

lt will be seen. from the shove that the theoietical ligure is only 2.5% to 3% com- 00 pared with. the 10% to 15%' used in the ex?. terne). heatingr processes commonly in use.

According to the present invention the hot gases which are employed as the heating meoium nire obtained by :arranging one or 95, moi'e gas pi'oducei's o'l any well known type in close pioximity to e roteiy retort or retoits through which tile cerbonaceous metefiel to be dis ed is pessed ine continuous mennen, enel the requisite quentityof 100 the ges Wliich evolved during'the treetf ment of tlie metei'i i Within 'the producerA j cori; gases away from the retort or producers and 'Wiiioi'i is required to heet the material Within tLe retort or retorts ie Withdrowo under controi direotiy from the producers and passed Without ignition or combustion through iiie interior of Ythe iretor; or retorts in contact; with the meterioi contained therein, whereby the so-colled eerioie heet of the producer gas, Whichdieot Woud otherwise ioe wasted., is utilized to produce distiiction of the carbonoceous materiel. lo' additionto internal heating io the manner described the ratorih can oiso be heated externeilj/ out it. ie preferred to insuote the retort externally and to rely on internal heating, it is importent to note that the producer ges is loot ignited before being passed into the retorts end tiiatoiiiy its Scneiiiie heet ioiztiiized io distii the corboiooccous materiai Within the retort, es 'oy Working the retorts in the manner above described the foei consumption. is lowered and approaches the theoretic-'ei limit, whie a ierge volume of coiofbined producer ood re tort ges oi greet heating velue can ei'tei Werde ioe rerovered'es weil es a greatiy in yield o3? oils, ammonio, ero The amount of carbones/eene resid-.uom produced corresponds cioeeiy to the amount produced .fr cerbonzing process. f' fthe prooeo irppiied to the distii otior Wood?l i f., etc.; the appropriate oy-'oroducts ere obteoabie in the moet oiotageoue Reorder that iahe invention may oe clem-:dy understood er. readily carried into eiect., the seme Wiii oor: be described more fui/ijf with reference to the accompanying daroeriog which iiiustr'ates i diegrammaticaiiy layout of a piaci; constructed according to the prese-ni; invention and in which:

vis e hopper or contciier for the raw meteriai which io 'ed into the retort or rotary Cil-uio il a is e pipe means of which the row materiel is fed from the hopF per A. into the retort @the pipe o, oleo eervicgto conduct the mixed producer and re 'il c is o ixed annuler casing surrounding one end the' retort and wherein 'the Aizsei which is treated in the retort-is coilected after feiling; through the opening c. c2 is 'the f i-lei fe or discharge valve from the retort E ie the producer, the producer gas from "ii ie employed for treating the materiel undergoing distillation in the retort C. e is through which the producer gas is from the producer and fed into the e" ze a. valve tor controlling the @omitir of "producer gas supp/hed to the retort F'is :i condenser for the mixed which leave the retort C, and G is an obo@ rqoioo apparatus for the recovei from oord mixed l gases of condeusabie and ab- .;eoroeoie hydro-corbeil products contained pipe conducto tile strippedA i from 'the absorption apportons conzroi producer and passed directly ceptacie containing the meteriei be dried or heated, iiie sensibie wie@ producer gas being thereby ut ii the materiel 'oeiore it posees in: the the other perox oi the suppiy o' promu? gos being withdrawn :is before (1" Y ampie by means of o ferr) from the oro and peeeed onder control throoffo 'o tort in ich "che coriionoceoos the aforesaid receptacle is siro. tiied or corbonized. The p ing cerbonoceous material by SenSibie heet or producer gras is time f into teso stages i. e7 o, proimioery operation and e, subsequent distihiig or i.

bonizing' operation cccii ste fre keine cer-1 ried ori by means o se@ "5 producer gos.l The produce" leaves tie eforeooid f mixed 'or further etiiizti boed 'producer :if/'ii retort gee the rororo after the hydrocarbon A been. 'i loi/ed tnerezrom., T receptoc. n

proximity the retort end i being dried may o o :id fed directiy into the retort5 so the process continuous.

"Vihotn "i cioim aridf" ters me-rit of' the il A method of pro o. and at low temperotom moteries iiydroceriooo the production or ire-ocre ome oi euiteoe i power purposesJ which cv in e, continuous infirmer throogh roi retort the cerbormceooe ro who 'to be distilied, 'witidrr 'Volume producer goe e ..mper exceeding 600 il). from. en e" ducererid passing/g the heated previous ignition and iri toe tiououeiy owing eircom through die re in couoteriiowto ihe omboorrceoue mi," 'riale passing therethrough 6so that die sible heet of the iS uiiiiieec'' pose of 'footing distiiietiom, in the combined retort oud thus formed to condeiieiog; 'im recov'er in liquid forro from the. Y the hydrocarbon oiis con'tevineo "Herein, ,Y in conducting away trie comiiio rotor@l producer goo from the', (condensing means for combustion cleeviie e I 

